In this modern age, there is so much to be wary of. Honestly, I don’t believe it was much different back in the day when it comes to safety. Nowadays, the information floating around is just more freely available, making the 'Real World' appear scarier.
The world can be a scary place. There are a ton of people out there with ill intentions, and with the reality of an open world where anyone can gain access to pretty much anything, it’s important to audit our kid’s online activities. This goes far beyond the debate of, “You’re infringing on my privacy.” It’s not about that at all. It’s about looking out for their mental and physical well-being.
I remember when my son was about 8 years old. He loved watching YouTube videos and most of the content he consumed was rather informational. He’d come and tell me all about his new discoveries, whether it was related to a dinosaur covered in feathers, or a Sperm whale eating giant squid at unbelievable depth, he was an informational sponge.
As responsible parents, we occasionally audited his online activities, and always kept a wary ear out to ensure it was not absolute hogwash, or worse, just plain creepy content he was consuming.
From a young age, we told him about bad people in the world and specifically warned him about the internet. I do believe he’s quite streetsmart when it comes to that sphere, and he even questioned me about some of my PSN (PlayStation Network) friends.
When it comes to my daughter, on the other hand, she doesn’t seem to have that same weary finesse he does. As another YouTube lover, and being 5 years younger than her brother, the content blaring out over the TV or cellphone has me raising my eyebrows at times. Some of it is just plain ridiculous, while others aren’t suitable for her age group. Sure, I can toggle away at some parental settings, however, if I’m aware of what she’s consuming and believe I can control it, I’m not about to bubble wrap my child. The earlier they learn the realities of this world, the better.
With some intervention and moderation, the stream she’s receiving has vastly improved.
What is critical, is awareness. A few years ago, my son started hiding what he was searching for. We immediately noticed this change in behavior, and, during our audit, found some odd content searches.
- Nakid girls (spelled as per search)
- Nakid scool girls (OMG!)
- Kissing
- Justin Bieber kissing a manequin (LOL)
My wife and I had a quick discussion about this, and I immediately had a chat with him about the birds and the bees. I wasn’t going to allow the internet to teach him, haha. The conversation went down without a hitch, and he stopped those searches. As it happened, someone at school piqued his curiosity, which led to to it all. I did a post in 2017 about When is the best time to teach your kids about SEX that mentioned those points.
At the end of the day, auditing and awareness is not only your friend but a safety net for your kids. Sure, you can limit their consumption by adding certain parental controls, and I’m sure many parents do this. For us, our home is small enough to see and hear everything that’s going on, so we’re quite happy with our methods of intervention.